Iron Cross

"You mean, the people you sent have contacted the Germans?" In the palace of Tehran, a young voice suppressed his excitement and asked with a slightly trembling voice.

"Yes. Not only did they contact them, but they also met Field Marshal Rommel himself."

"How was it?"

"The British were defeated... Our envoys saw thousands of British and Indian prisoners."

"I'm not asking this... I already know this. The fact that the Germans can get here shows how powerful they are." The young voice asked anxiously, "I'm asking, what is their attitude towards us, are they willing to help us drive away the Russians and the British?"

"Of course there is no problem, but there will be some price to pay."

"I can accept conditions similar to those in Egypt and Iraq, Even a slightly higher price than theirs is acceptable. I can't live a day like this! Do they want oil? I can give it to them! I can agree to station troops there. "

This young voice was from the Iranian King Mohammad Reza Pahlavi (Persia was renamed Iran in 1936, but Persia was more commonly called Iran in the following years, and then it slowly transitioned to Iran. The overall name evolution is similar to the relationship between Siam and Thailand). Although Reza Khan, the former king and Pahlavi's father, was more pro-German, he also declared neutrality after the outbreak of the Soviet-German War in 1941. However, in order to preserve Iran's channel for material supply to the Soviet Union, the Allies did not allow Iran to be truly neutral.

In early August, the Soviet Union and Britain jointly agreed to carry out armed occupation of Iran and divided the two countries into two lines - this was also the dividing line between the spheres of influence of Russia and Britain in Persia in the late 19th century. It was not until Reza Khan declared independence that the forces of the two countries were gradually expelled.

Although the old king knew that it would be easy for Russia and Britain, who had powerful military forces and weapons and equipment, to invade Iran, he still naively believed until the last moment that the Allies would not go to extremes out of moral considerations and respect for international law and the norms of international relations. He never expected that the British and Red Army would launch an invasion on August 25, 1941.

The British troops included the 8th and 10th Indian Divisions, the 2nd Indian Armored Brigade, the 9th Armored Brigade and the 21st Indian Infantry Brigade, while the Soviet Army drew invasion troops from the 44th, 47th and 53rd Armies of the Transcaucasian and Central Asian Military Districts. The total number of troops on both sides exceeded 150,000.

At this time, the Iranian Army had a size of about 120,000 people, organized into two Royal Guards Divisions equipped with 105mm Skoda artillery (both stationed in Tehran), 9 ordinary divisions (stationed in six military regions across the country, of which 5 divisions were in the north to guard against the Soviet Union and 4 divisions were in the south to guard against Britain), 5 military police brigades, and 1 independent mechanized brigade (equipped with Czech-made AH-IV and TNH tanks, several British 1921 Rolls-Royce armored vehicles and American TK-6 armored vehicles). The Iranian Royal Air Force had about 400 aircraft, organized into 8 squadrons. The Iranian Navy had 2 gunboats, 5 torpedo boats, 1 armed tugboat, and 1 armed yacht in the Caspian Sea, and 2 Italian-built gunboats, 4 gunboats, 3 torpedo boats, and 1 tugboat in the Persian Gulf.

In terms of military strength, the strength of the Iranian army was not too bad, but due to the sudden attack, most of the unprepared Iranian troops were disarmed in the barracks. Officers and intelligence officers above the school level were identified by the Soviet Ministry of Internal Affairs. Some were taken to Baku for interrogation and have been missing since then. Some Iranian officers escaped from the barracks under the cover of night and hid in nearby houses. In addition to controlling strategic locations in Iran, the Soviet Union and Britain also took the opportunity to incite some local tribes that were dissatisfied with Tehran's rule, especially in the northern mountainous areas bordering the Soviet Union, where many ethnic minorities (such as Azerbaijan) did not obey the authority of the Tehran government.

In addition to the army, Iran's small navy and air force were also destroyed. A joint British and Australian fleet carrying landing troops suddenly opened fire on the Iranian navy in the early morning of August 25. The "Yara" gunboat hit the largest warship of the Iranian Navy, the "Tiger" gunboat purchased from Italy, and severely damaged it. By 5:30 a.m., the British army had landed and occupied the port of Shapkhel. In the port of Abadan, the British Navy's "Shoreham" gunboat sank the "Tiger" sister ship "Leopard" gunboat, and other Iranian warships in the port were either destroyed or captured.

The Royal Air Force's Blenheim light bombers launched a surprise attack on Ahvaz Airport, and the Iranian planes parked there were blown up on the ground before they could take off. The British swept all the air bases in southern Iran, and the air force officers and soldiers were sent home, and the relevant aircraft were dismantled by British soldiers. At the huge Dushan-Tapeh Air Force Base, the British took over the Shahzad aircraft assembly plant there. 15 brand new Curtiss "****" fighters that had just been shipped from the United States (three of which had not yet been unpacked) were confiscated by the British and shipped to India. At the same time, the British also occupied the Anglo-Persian Oil Company refinery in Abadan.

In less than a week, all strategic locations in Iran were occupied across the board, the army collapsed, and the old king was forced to order a cessation of resistance. The British and Soviet ambassadors not only demanded that Iran facilitate the transportation of arms, weapons and war materials by the Allies through its territory, but also that the embassies of Germany, Italy, Romania and Hungary must be closed and the German expatriates surrendered. After Iran agreed to fulfill these conditions, British and Soviet troops still entered Tehran and forced King Reza to abdicate. All Germans in Iran were arrested. Half of the able-bodied ones were selected by the Soviet Union and sent to the slave camp in Kolyma, Siberia, where they mined alongside civilian slave laborers captured by the Soviet Union from eastern Poland. The other half Exiled to Australia by the British.

After King Reza abdicated, he passed the throne to the 21-year-old Pahlavi, and then left Tehran. Before leaving, the old king ordered someone to dig up a piece of Persian soil, put it into a small bag, and stuffed it into his pocket.

On January 29, 1942, Iran, under threat of gunfire, signed the Tripartite Alliance Treaty with the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union. Although the two countries repeatedly claimed to respect Iran's "independence and autonomy," they blocked all roads, railways, rivers, airports, and airports in Iran. The ports, oil pipelines, telephones, telegraphs and radio facilities were all controlled and directly managed by the Allied forces. Every move of all Iranian senior officials, including Pahlavi, was under surveillance. In order to prevent the Soviets from poisoning and murdering Pahlavi, Pahlavi Even every meal and every glass of water must be tasted carefully before eating.

He thought he would be under this kind of fear forever, but he didn't expect the situation to change so quickly. In less than a year, the Germans were knocking on his door. After November, he cheered for every victory of the African Army and was frustrated by the setbacks and tests they encountered. When the Axis powers entered Cairo, he had fun in the palace for three days. After the German army entered Syria and Iraq, he could hardly suppress his joyful mood. He studied the progress of Rommel's troops on the map every day - even more concerned about the German army's supplies and logistics than the German General Staff.

"The Germans want more than that."

"What do they want?" Pahlavi frowned and asked, "Do they want to cede territory?"

"No, they want a full partnership."

"What does this mean?"

"Marshal Rommel conveyed the original words of the head of state: The Persian people were a branch of the Aryan people in ancient times. Although they have undergone significant evolution in historical changes, the German nation is still willing to recognize our identity as an Aryan ethnic group. Descendants who both belong to the Aryan nation should establish a comprehensive partnership and strive to establish a new international order."

"That's all? No specific conditions?"

"The head of state did not say anything, but the representative of Marshal Kesselring, the commander-in-chief of Germany's Southern Front, mentioned some specific conditions, such as: abolition of all treaties with Britain and the Soviet Union, and compensation for 1,000 tons of gold for the losses caused by them; domestic All investments from the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union were transferred to Germany, and Germany was responsible for repairing all facilities and equipment, including the refinery. Except for its own use, all oil produced in Iran was supplied to Germany. Germany was allowed to acquire new mineral mining rights, and Germany was responsible for all exploration and development. After the investment is successfully mined, both parties will get half of it, and the term will be 99 years. After the expiration, it will all be transferred to our country - basically the same conditions as Egypt and Iraq."

"Where is the garrison?" Pahlavi asked the envoy what he was most concerned about.

"Except for the northern border with the Soviet Union, Germany will station some troops in ports and oil fields in the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz, and the rest of the country, including Tehran and Isfahan, will not station troops. Domestic railways, roads, Telegraph is also operated independently by us."

Pahlavi's expression relaxed: "The Germans don't want much, at least they want much better than Britain and the Soviet Union."

"What can we get?" asked Pahlavi's twin sister, Princess Ashraf, who has superb political skills. "Can we rescue our father?"

"The Germans promised to try their best to rescue us." The envoy thought for a while. "They promised to help us rebuild the Wehrmacht and use weapons to offset the oil money they received from us, but they asked us to join the Axis camp and declare war on Britain and the Soviet Union."

"Excluding the United States?" Pahlavi still has a good impression of the United States.

"There is no need to include the United States." The envoy suddenly added, "By the way, the Germans said that if we join the war against Russia and the United Kingdom, Germany is willing to allocate some of the territory between the two countries and Iran to us after victory in the future - quite a lot in 150,000 square kilometers.”

Pahlavi showed excitement and shouted: "Okay, I agreed, and prepare the treaty immediately."

"Your Majesty..." the sophisticated Prime Minister Mohamed Foruji advised, "Your Majesty, the Germans have described a 'comprehensive partnership'. The veteran believes that these conditions can continue to be negotiated, and perhaps we do not have to pay so much."

"No! I want to drive the Soviets away as soon as possible, arm the troops, and let them taste our anger." Pahlavi said proudly, "In this world, not only the British or the Soviets know how to use force, but we Persians also Understand, I will make them pay for that treacherous attack more than a year ago!”